Weight Loss Tips – Weight Loss Naturally

Weight Loss Tips – Weight Loss Naturally
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Over 2 billion people are overweight or obese in the world today. Our worldwide obesity pandemic has been considered the most serious preventable public health catastrophe in recent memory.

Obesity and Weight Loss

In 2016, the National Institute of Health published an interesting result by following the participants of a popular show “The Biggest Loser” competition. This result and observation have changed the way we view weight loss and obesity.

While it had been six years after the conclusion of the competition, their bodies were still fighting back to recover the weight they had fought so hard to lose. The average resting metabolic rate or metabolism of the contestants at the end of the 30-week contest was 600 calories per day slower than at the start of the contest. That was anticipated, though. When an individual loses weight, they lose muscle and fat as well. Metabolism slows as a consequence.

Six years later, many of the participants had regained the weight they had lost. Thus, in proportion to their body composition, their metabolism was supposed to rebound, but instead, their metabolism slowed much further. The participant’s average resting metabolic rate was 500 calories a day slower than someone who had the same muscle and fat mass and weight, who had never lost such a large amount of weight. This differential is called metabolic adaptation between their predicted metabolism based on their body structure and their measured metabolism.

It reflects the degree to which, even six years later, the body fights back against hard-earned weight loss. If these people who had the help of the best trainers and nutritionists in the world do not succeed in consistent weight loss, what could that mean for other people who do not have these tools who struggle with weight?

In another study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine also found similar results. In their study, they used a low-calorie diet of 500 to 550 calories per day for 10 weeks. They tested the appetite hormones of each participant at the beginning, after the 10-week diet, and then a year later.

These participants had a higher level of the appetite hormone that signals hunger called ghrelin, and a lower amount of the appetite hormones that signal full, following weight loss from the very low-calorie diet. Their brains got the signal to push their weight back up, that they were hungrier and less content after eating, and it lasted a year later.

In both of these studies, they observed that our bodies trying to regain weight after a weight loss. The studies concluded that the high degree of relapse among obese individuals who have lost weight has a clear physiological basis and is not simply the restoration of old habits.

Weight Loss Diet

Research has shown that whole foods diet is the most healthy diet, even when selecting whole foods, there are questions about the percentage of macronutrients that are the best carbohydrates, proteins, and fats? Is low-fat high carb, low carb high protein, which one helps to lose weight?

Many researchers have been testing diets based on the quality of their fats, proteins, and carbohydrates for the last several years. Over the years every macronutrient has been blamed for the increase in obesity.

During the 1970s low-fat diets became so popular based on the assumption that fat makes us fat. For a period of time, anything that was low fat, like low-fat ice cream and low-fat cookies was considered healthy.

Even with many low-fat alternatives reaching the supermarket shelves, obesity rates have risen steadily. At that time, a closer look at the American diet reveals that we were so focused on fat that we didn’t pay attention to other macronutrients.

Many low-fat foods substituted fat with refined flours, sugars, and unhealthy carbohydrates to improve the taste and texture of food. As a result, our gross calorie consumption and intake of these refined carbohydrates have increased. Many different diets have continued to hit the market since then, each claiming to be the best.

Impact of Fat, Protein, and Carbohydrate on Weight Loss

Researchers at Harvard performed one of the biggest, randomized clinical trials ever conducted, in which participants were allocated to diets of varying carbohydrate, fat, and protein proportions and monitored closely for two years.

The authors concluded, similar to what has been found in other research, is that you can lose weight on several different diets with varying amounts of protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Participants on low carb diets did almost as well as participants on high carb diets and individuals on low-fat diets did just as they did on high-fat diets.

The key point from this large Harvard research was that it is not the quantity but rather the quality of fat, protein, and carbohydrates that matters for health and weight loss. Better quality carbohydrates are those from the whole food such as vegetables, berries, and legumes than from processed food.

Avoid Empty Calories

Another conceptual approach to choosing healthy food choices is to consider the nutritional density of the food. The nutrient density of a food is the quantity of nutritious value, including fiber, vitamins, and minerals, divided by the food’s calories, or energy content. A glass of soft drink, for example, contains a lot of calories but not much nutritious benefit.

The term “nutrient density” relates to the notion of dividing a food’s nutritious value by its energy content (or total calories). It does not take into account the cost of food. Highly processed foods often have a high-calorie content but low nutritional benefit (and are thus not very nutrient-dense). Fresh, whole food like spinach, on the other hand, has a low-calorie count but a high nutritional value, making it nutrient-rich.

The Best Weight Loss Diet – Weight Loss Naturally

A healthy diet is one that emphasizes vegetables, fruits, fish, lean meats, chicken etc. and is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugar, while also staying within your daily calorie needs.

If you try to do plans that are so rigid or so restrictive you may end up doing for few weeks and then stopping. In the Harvard study, participants who were able to conform to their balanced healthy diet lost the most weight, regardless of the proportion of protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

This observation matches with the result from various cultural diets across the globe. In fact, some of the world’s healthiest diets differ drastically in their percentage of fat, protein, and carbs, for example, the Okinawan diet followed by the Japanese is high in high-quality carbohydrates. On the other hand, the balanced dietary pattern followed by Mediterranean countries is high in fat.

As research continues in finding what we can consume to reach optimum health and weight, dietary recommendations have changed over the years. The best research to date shows that calories matter, but an equally important aspect of avoiding weight gain and encouraging weight loss is to concentrate on food quality and eating whole foods.

Instead of selecting foods based only on caloric value, consider choosing high-quality whole foods and minimize low quality foods.

Weight Loss Foods

High Quality Carbohydrates

  • Example: Green Leafy Vegetables, Fruits, Whole Grains, Legumes
  • Digested slowly, high in fiber
  • Minimally processed
  • Slow and small impact on blood sugar

High Quality Fats

  • Avocado, Nuts, Seeds, Fish
  • Unsaturated fat (poly & mono unsaturated fat)

High Quality Proteins

  • Example: Lentils, Beans, Lean Fish and Poultry
  • Low in saturated fat and high in nutrients

What to Avoid for Weight Loss?

Low Quality Carbohydrates

  • Example: Pasta, White bread, cookies, sugary drinks, cakes, sugary cereal, chips
  • Rapidly digested and low in fiber
  • Ultimately processed
  • Quick, big spike on blood sugar
  • Frozen ready to eat processed foods

Low Quality Fats

  • Example: Cheese, Bacon, Fatty meats, full fat diary
  • High in saturated fat and low in nutrients

Low Quality Proteins

  • Example: Cheese, Full fat diary, Fatty meats
  • High in saturated fat and low in nutrients.

Role of Genetics on Diet and Weight Loss

Based on our genes, the diet that works best for each person will differ significantly. This means one diet may work for one person but not for others, each of us responds differently to different diets. It’s not that there are no diet rules, and it’s not that diets don’t work, with eating plenty of fruits and vegetables everyone does better regardless of their genetic makeup.

Role of Exercise on Weight Loss

In addition to our dietary choices, stress, sleep and exercise also can affect our weight set point.

Yes, exercise can help to burn off calories and lose weight. You need to burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight. However, exercise increases hunger and stimulates appetite so people tend to consume more calories than they burned after a workout. This is one of the reasons some people experience that exercise itself is not helping them to lose weight.

When we exercise calories are burned and it will create muscle mass. The muscle burns three times more calories than fat and speeds up your metabolism.

Role of Sleep on Weight Loss

The average adult requires Seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Studies report that one-third of American adults between the ages of 30 and 64 get less than six hours a night, and the lower the amount of sleep, the greater the association with obesity.

Sleeping less than seven hours a night increases the level of ghrelin, a hunger hormone. It also lowers the volume of leptin, the satiety hormone. As a consequence, the message our brains receive is that we are hungrier than we should be. We eat more calories than required to compensate for the additional hours of being awake without realizing it.

Mindful Eating Habits…

Behavioral changes on their own can be an essential element of a step-by-step action plan. They can help you lose weight even if you don’t make any intentional changes to your diet. Read more about how to develop healthy food habits.

If you like the notion of focusing on behavioral techniques, make a deal with yourself that you will only eat when you are sitting at a table with cutlery and a plate for the next few weeks. Simply making this modification improves the likelihood that the foods you eat will be well-planned rather than impulsive.

Cooking at home twice, three times, or even every night of the week is a another behavioral shift. Those foods have a good probability of being healthier than eating out.

Lifestyles of the Slim and Active…

When it comes to weight management, individuals with a healthy weight may be good role models. You’ll probably see them move more, around the house or at work, they’re likely to be occupied with chores, standing instead of sitting, watching less tv, or just more active.

The more active you are, the more you burn calories. Slim people typically practice healthy eating and exercise regularly without much thought or preparation in general.

  • Eat a wide variety of whole foods
  • Eat slowly and taste your food
  • Try to pack your lunch from home. This helps to avoid grabbing unhealthy foods
  • Try to control your portions. Bring food in single-serving containers, so that if you are distracted – you would not overindulge.

Setting Weight Loss Goals…

Based on studies weight-loss advantages can be seen with a 5-10% weight loss. This means that losing 10 to 20 pounds would help someone who weighs 200 pounds.

It’s more practical to aim for a five to ten percent weight loss at a time rather than achieving a normal body weight.

  • Calculate 10% of your weight

.10 * Your Weight =

E.g. If your current body weight is 200 lb:

.10 * 200 = 20 pounds

  • Calculate your initial weight loss target goal

Your current weight – 10% of your body weight = weight loss target goal

E.g. If your current body weight is 200 lb, then:

200 – 20 = 180 lb

This weight loss target goal is a good starting point.

Weight Loss Plan

How to Manage Cravings?

People are prone to fall for cravings, particularly for unhealthy foods. There is no better way to deal with cravings than to plan ahead of time your meals and snacks. You are far less likely to reach for junk foods if you have a healthy meal packed and ready for you.

  • Change your eating habits by selecting high-quality macronutrient sources.
    • For e.g. Substitute refined processed carbs ( desserts, pasta, bread, and muffins) with fiber-rich sources (vegetables, fruits, and whole grains)
    • Substitute animal sources of fat (cheese, butter, meat, chicken) with plant sources (nuts, avocados, seeds)
  • Home cooking has several challenges, including time, energy, skill, and money. However, by preparing ahead of time, sharing the work, improving with time, and doing our best with what we have, we can overcome these challenges and reap the health benefits of home cooking, which is generally better than processed food. Cooking may include the entire family, passing on essential skills to future generations in order to enhance their own health. It can also lead to healthy eating habits (less snacking, more regular meals with family), therefore everyone should cook at home as frequently as possible.
  • Step-by-step change is more likely to be sustainable than abrupt, large-scale change. Small behavioral adjustments, such as adopting better substitutes (rather than eliminating food entirely) and gradually increasing healthy habits, are more sustainable than a total dietary change. Consider the influence of food-related habits (such as dining at the table or limiting snacking between meals).
  • Plate sizes may have a big impact on portion sizes and how much food we need to feel full. Consider the veggie first when creating a healthy plate, then the remainder of the plate (with grains and protein in relatively smaller amounts). A variety of veggies is usually healthier than a single one. Staying hydrated with water is usually the healthiest option.

In Summary

Sustained Weight Loss is not as simple as we think, several studies have found that our bodies are struggling hard to push us to regain weight after a diet induces weight loss. Our body continues to send messages that are difficult to manage, and even impossible. This means in order to successfully lose weight it may require reprogramming of the signals.

When you plan your weight loss diet the quality matters more than the quantity of carbohydrates, fat, and protein. Focus less on weight and more on lifestyle, stay aware of the option of diet and exercise that affect your overall health and well-being.

Instead of just eliminating the things we enjoy, establishing a balanced diet that can be sustained over time must focus on sensible substitutions. This is one of the reasons why skipping meals does not always result in weight loss. Because our bodies will compensate for any perceived food deprivation.

References

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